It didn't take long after Hue Nguyen was diagnosed with breast cancer to wonder if her job in a San Leandro nail salon could have put her at risk for the disease.

Though she can't prove it, Nguyen is sure that the chemicals in the nail polish removers, fake nails and lacquers that she inhaled while working at the salon contributed to the cancer.

But avoiding risky chemicals can be nearly impossible, according to a new California Department of Substances Control study, which revealed nail lacquers, topcoats and other products on the market still contained high levels of the "toxic trio" -- toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate -- despite claims that they were free of the substances. Chronic exposure to those three chemicals has been associated with birth defects, asthma and other chronic health conditions.

"No salon worker should have to put their livelihood over their health," said Julia Liou, a member of the Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative and Asian Health Services.

This is a major public health issue for workers and customers, Liou said Tuesday at the Laney College cosmetology school where the Substances Control department chose to release the study's findings publicly.